Hiroaki Koide, Japanese Nuclear Engineer Calls for Abolition

The Truth About Nuclear Power

http://www.japanfocus.org/-Koide-Hiroaki/3582

Mr. Koide Hiroaki is an assistant professor at Kyoto University’s Research Reactor Institute.  Despite making little progress in his career because of his 40 years of anti-nuclear campaigning, he has become a well-respected figure in the anti-nuclear campaign in Japan.  Since March 11^th, he has been touring Japan lecturing to packed audiences, appearing a regular radio program, and had published several books on anti-nuclear.

FRYING DUTCHMAN “Human ERROR”

Their song has a great message for anti nuclear campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q5p283KZGa8

Japan knowingly exposing young female runners to high radiation in Fukushima

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtlBa36I8Yw&feature=related

Many reports and news indicates that the Japanese government has been manipulating the truth about the danger on all levels since the disaster happened.   The East Japan Girls Long Distance Relay Race on Nov. 13 2011 was another example of the way they have been misinforming people about safety. 

According to various sources, all the girls were asked to sign a document promising not to ask for compensation if they were made ill by participating in the race.  Why did the authorities feel they had to do that if they claimed it was safe to run?

Safety campaign by a government doctor & People in Fukushima

Unbelievable comment by Mr. Yamashita

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOgaBUDFeb4&feature=related

Professor Yamashita of Nagasaki University moved to Fukushima after the disaster when he was appointed by Fukushima prefecture governor Mr. Yuhei Sato as radiation health risk advisor.  He gave lectures around Fukushima while the radiation level was still very high, telling people that 100mSv was OK, that they did not need to worry about the radiation, and that they could let their children play outdoors as much as they wanted.   Domestic water supplies were cut off by the big earthquake, so adults and children have to queue outside for hours to get water.  Like most of us, they didn’t know about the real danger of radiation at first, so parents took Professor Yamashita’s word and let their children play outside, exposing many of them to unnecessary doses of radiation.  We heard from mothers in Fukushima that some children had started to show radiation-related symptoms such as nose bleeds, diarrhea, vomiting and headaches a couple of months after the disaster.  　 However, despite the false information he has been giving out on radiation safety, Professor Yamashita has been allowed to remain as radiation advisor and became vice-president of a medical college in Fukushima city.   It is rumored that several Tepco workers were taken into this hospital for serious treatment after the explosions, but we will probably never get to know what happened to them.  It seems that it is one of many hidden stories about the number of deaths related to the Fukushima disaster.   We also heard that Prof. Yamashita had lectured regional doctors at private gatherings in affected areas in the eastern part of Japan, including Fukushima and Tokyo, telling them that they shouldn’t say anything about radiation or relate their patients’ illnesses to radiation.  We also heard that the government safety campaign including his lectures have caused ill-will and disagreements among families and friends, breaking their communities apart in Fukushima.  Traditional family values and ties are important for people in Fukushima and in some cases three generations live under the same roof.  Once told it is safe to live where they are, it is difficult for old people to change their minds and decide to live somewhere else away from their homeland.  Also, it is hard to recognize the danger of radiation unless you study it, because you cannot see it, taste it, or smell it.  There are two million people, including 360, 000 children, in Fukushima.  With no government help, only about 20,000 children whose parents could afford it managed to evacuate.  In some cases, their fathers have stayed in Fukushima to keep earning their double living cost so they can continue to pay their mortgage.  It’s hard and worrying for them to stay, but it is also hard financially for them to evacuate. Also we must say that  there are some people who　just believe the government's safety campaign, don’t feel/think the danger of the radiation and live their life as if everything would be normal.  More story to follows...

UN & IAEA encourage Japan to restart nuclear

Former nuclear designer Masashi Goto warned in a recent interview that the IAEA has never  said anything about the safety of nuclear power itself ,  although they approved the stress tests carried out by Japan's nuclear safety agency.  Also, despite the IAEA saying that each country has to make its own decisions about the safety of its nuclear power stations, the Japanese government, electricity companies and nuclear safety agency are using the IAEA’s approval of the stress tests as their justification for restarting the reactors.

This news reminds us of when Tepco rushed out a report saying that the tsunami was the cause of the Fukushima nuclear disaster without a full investigation and handed it to the IAEA when they visited Fukushima last year.  The report was then broadcast to the world in the mainstream media as if tsunami was a reason for the disaster.  However, speculations and discussions about the reasons for the disaster continue,  and a few nuclear designers including Mr. Goto and Mr.Tanaka were invited to a  closed-door hearing on July 27, 2011 to discuss the causes, Tepco, the nuclear safety energy organization and JNES (a group of experts in accident analysis) could no longer deny that it had been the Magnitude-9 earthquake that had caused the meltdones.  They were unable even to present any proof of their statement that the tsunami had been the cause.

Please refer to :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT7KTT0w9h8

37m50s – 47m10s

*UN supports Japan reactor restarts  ABCNews Feb. 1, 2012

Only 3 out of 54 reactors are working at the moment in Japan. All the reactors will stop in April.  Japanese anti-nuclear groups are acting to stop the reactivation of the reactors. 

＊IAEA ＆ WHO downplays the danger of radiation.

In 1959 IAEA and WHO agreed that [one will not release a report without an agreement of the other.]  IAEA is an organization for promoting and regulating nuclear power.  We don’t think truth (especially on danger of internal exposure to radiation) can come out from WHO because of this agreement

Appeal for saving children in Fukushima - 20mSv/y zone is not a safe place

Do you remember that last spring the Japanese government announced that they were going to allow children to live within the 20mSv/y zone?  Mr. Kosako who is well respected professor and was the advisor to the former Prime Minister, resigned in protest at the government’s decision, saying that it went completely against his ethics as a scientist and a grandparent.  Although the government quickly retracted its statement after intense criticism from its own citizens and people around the world, and said that they would aim at 1mSv/y, they have still done nothing to help the children.  Soon after the explosion, citizens living within a 20 –km radius of the plant were evacuated, and those living 20-30km from it were forced to live with their doors and windows shut.  Even Fukushima city, which is about 50km from the plant, is no longer safe for children.  The Watari area is particularly dangerous, since it has many hotspots. 

Avvaz.Org has been collection signatures to petition the Japanese Prime Minister to evacuate citizens from the Watari area.  If the government decides to evacuate them, it would benefit many other citizens in other areas with similarly high radiation levels.  In Chernobyl, nobody has to live in areas where the radiation level is more than 5mSv/y unless they want to.  In Japan, the government applies the ICRP model for emergency situations as a normal one, and treats 20mSv/y areas as safe places to live so they do not have to evacuate people from such areas.  We shouldn’t allow this false sense of security to remain unchallenged, otherwise it could be foisted on the rest of the world as well.

To sign the petition, please go to this link:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_fukushima_children_1/

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant up date news

(Feb 5, 2012)

The Fukushima disaster is far from over.  4 reactors have been continuously leaking the radiation into the environment since March 11 last year.  There are over 100,000 tons of radioactive water is left in the site.  3 reactors had meltdown that means they can only guess where had the melted fuel gone and in what shape.  Reactor 4 is the most worrying, especially since series of size 4 magnitude earthquakes happened at the beginning of this year.  Higher radiation was detected around that time.  Now it’s in the middle of winter we hear news about leaking pipes that were erupted by the frozen weather.

FAREWELL TO NUCLEAR POWER - A Lecture on Fukushima Daiichi by Takashi Hirose, September 11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT7KTT0w9h8

Takashi Hirose is one of leading anti-nuke activist/author in Japan for the past 30 years.  This video is about his lecture given in Tsuchiura city in Ibaragi Prefecture last September.  In his 3-hour-long video he points out a few important facts: Melting down started after big earthquake before Tsunami, A false statement of "Cool Shutdown", Current situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, There would be enough electricity without nuke in Japan.  Japan has the best technology of Gus Turbine that produces no CO2. Health issues, etc.

0:06:10 Introduction
0:11:50 Truth about the nuclear accidents
1:43:10 Earthquakes and nuclear plants in Japan
1:59:40 Contamination and health effects
2:42:20 Alternative energy
2:54:40 Appeal and closing remarks by organizers
Updates since the lecture:

One woman Anti nuke campaign

Atsuko Ogasawara, owner of “Asako House”, built in the center of the planned Ohma Nuclear Power Plant premises.   She would appreciate it if you could send a post card (just with a few words is ok).  Receiving a mail as much as possible helps her position to keep up anti nuclear campaign.  Here is “Asako House”’s address:

Ms. Atsuko Ogasawara, c/o Asako House, 396 Aza Ko-okoppe, Oh-aza Ohma, Ohma Machi, Shimokita Gun, Aomori Prefecture, JAPAN 039-4601

A Woman Who Refuses to Give In to A New Nuke Plant／あさこはうす【日本語字幕付き】

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJaK7vddwro&feature=youtu.be

Related article:  http://cnic.jp/english/newsletter/nit143/nit143articles/ww143.html

Please don't forget Fukushima  by Ms. Muto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzsCDLjCwI

Ms. Muto made a beautiful, empowering speech in front of 60,000 demonstrators at No Nuke campaign in Tokyo last September.  We felt very touched and would like to share it with as many of you as possible.  She lives in Miharu town in Fukushima prefecture.  Miharu town is the only town where the citizen took the initiative to take Iodine tablets without waiting for the government’s instruction. They wouldn’t have had it otherwise because the government never took any initiative to give it to citizens in the affected area even though they knew how dangerous it was for them.  She believes in our power to change our world in the way that is fair for  everybody.  She appeals for everybody to connect with each other to get through this devastated situation by being aware of what’s going on, making our own decisions and acting upon it.

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If you can’t get English subtitles on the video, here is a translation by Ms. Emma Parker.

Hello everyone.  I came here today from Fukushima.

　I came along with many busloads of my companions, both from Fukushima prefecture itself and from the places to which we have evacuated. For many, this is the first time to participate in a rally or demo. We reached out, invited each other along, and came here today because we want to tell you about the grief caused by the accident at the nuclear plant in Fukushima; and because we are determined that we, of all people, will raise our voices to say that we do not want nuclear reactors.

　There are a few things I would like to say at the start.

　I want to express my deep respect for each one of you, who have tackled so many things each day, in the midst of this difficult period since 3/11, in order to protect life.

　I also want to express my gratitude to all of you who have warmly reached out to connect with the people of Fukushima prefecture and to support us in various ways. Thank you.

　And to all the children and young people whom this accident has forced to shoulder a heavy burden, I want to apologize from my heart on behalf of the generation that brought about such a situation. I am truly sorry.

　I want to tell you all that Fukushima is a very beautiful place. To the east, the Hamadori region gazes out across the deep blue Pacific Ocean. The Nakadori region is a treasure-house of fruits: peaches, pears and apples. Golden rice stalks droop their heads on the Aizu plain, around Lake Inawashiro and Mount Bandai, while the far side is framed by deep mountain ranges. This land, with its blue mountains and clear water, is our homeland.

　The nuclear accident of 3/11 was a turning-point. Radiation, invisible to the eye, descended on this landscape, and we too became “victims of nuclear disaster“.

　In the midst of widespread confusion, various things happened to us.

　Caught between a rapidly rolled-out "safety campaign" and feelings of alarm, the connections between people were torn apart. Who can say how many people worried and grieved: in our localities, our workplaces, our schools, our homes? Day after day, many inescapable decisions were forced upon us. To flee, or not to flee?  To eat, or not to eat? To hang the laundry outside, or not to hang it outside? To make our children wear masks, or not to make them? To plough our fields, or not to plough them? To speak out about something, or to remain silent? There were various agonizing decisions.

　And now, here we are.

　During the past half year, the following things have become clear:

　The truth of the situation is being hidden

　The country is not protecting its citizens

　The accident is still not over

　The inhabitants of Fukushima prefecture are being made the subjects of a nuclear experiment

　A huge volume of radioactive waste remains

　Despite the enormous price that we have already paid, there are powers that are intent on driving nuclear power production forward

　We have been discarded

　We have deep sighs of exhaustion and overwhelming sadness. But the words that spill from our mouths are "Don't you dare treat us like fools!", "Don't snatch away our lives!"

　In the midst of our anger and grief, we, the citizens of Fukushima prefecture, are quietly rising up:

　Mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, wanting to protect their children...

　The young generation, fighting to stop their future from being stolen...

　Workers trying to help those cleaning up the stricken nuclear plant, exposed to huge doses of radiation in the process...

　Farmers filled with despair at the contamination of their land...

　People with disabilities, determined that the radiation should not give rise to a new discrimination and separation...

　One by one, each of us citizens is asking questions about the responsibility of the state, and of TEPCO **. And we are raising our voices to say "No more nuclear reactors!"

　We have become the ogres of Tohoku***, quietly burning with fury.

　We, the people of Fukushima, want to share our suffering, responsibility and hope, and to support each other as we move forward with our lives, whether we have left our hometowns or have stayed in our land. Please join with us. Please take note of the action that we are undertaking. We are learning about negotiations with the government, evacuation rulings, temporary evacuation, recovering our health, decontamination, measurement of radiation levels, nuclear reactors and radioactivity. And we are going everywhere to tell people about Fukushima. Today, companions of ours are giving a speech in New York. We are working on this in every way we can think of. Please help us. Please don't forget Fukushima.

　There is one more thing that I want to talk about, which is how we each live our lives. We need to imagine the world on the far side of that socket into which we plug things so heedlessly. We need to put our minds on the fact that convenience and development come at the price of discrimination and sacrificing people. Nuclear power plants are on the far side of that socket. The human race is no more than one species among the living creatures on this earth. Is there any other species that usurps its own future? I want to live as a living being should, in harmony with this beautiful planet. Although it may be a small thing, I want to treat energy as a precious resource, and weave an ingenious, rich, creative life.

　How can we build a new world that is the polar opposite of one reliant on nuclear reactors? Nobody knows the full answer to that. What I think we can do is for each one of us, in complete and total earnest, to think with our own minds, make sure to open our eyes wide, decide what we can do, and act on it, rather than following what someone else has decided. Let us remember that each one of us has that power.

　Every one of us has the courage to change. Let us reclaim the confidence that was taken from us. And then, let us connect with each other. If the power that even now aims to advance nuclear plants is a vertical wall looming over us, our power extends horizontally, without limits, through our ongoing connection.

　Try reaching out and gently holding the hand of the person next to you. Let's look at each other, and listen to each other's pain. Let's allow each other's anger and tears. Let's spread the warmth of these hands we're holding now throughout Japan and the world.

　However overwhelmingly heavy the burden each one of us has to bear, however rough the road that we have to travel, let us support each other so that we do not lose sight of our goal, and let us live through this time freely and blithely.

　　Muto Ruiko
　　　　　
　　　Fukushima, Japan

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